Pitt F Guillermo Diaz-Graham, Spain Advance to FIBA Tournament Quarterfinals
PITTSBURGH -- Freshman forward Guillermo Diaz-Graham has been absent from the Pitt Panthers' workouts for the past few weeks. As they work on their conditioning and fundamentals, Diaz-Graham is in Montenegro, competing with the Spanish U20 national team in the FIBA European Championships.
While he's elected to briefly spend some time away from his new team at Pitt, Diaz-Graham is gaining valuable experience during his time in Europe and playing well against some of the best young competition the continent has to offer. His Spanish team is also undefeated through four games after they topped Poland 83-60 in the opening round of the single-elimination tournament on Wednesday.
Diaz-Graham checked in for the first time with 4:03 left in the first quarter and attacked the paint to find his first points. Little more than a minute had gone by before he was crashing the offensive boards and gathering a missed layup for an easy put-back two-pointer.
Another minute went by before Diaz-Graham flashed some playmaking ability. He faked a dribble hand-off out on the wing before driving to the paint and drawing a foul. He made one of his two free throws. Later in the second half, he showcased the dribble again with a quick probe at the top of the key that drew a second defender. Diaz-Graham then found his teammate on the suddenly wide-open wing for a triple.
The two teams played a hard-nosed, physical game, and Diaz-Graham was up to the challenge. He held his own on the inside, collecting four rebounds and three blocks in just about 10 minutes of work.
His team played Poland to a near draw after the first quarter before ratcheting up the intensity. Poland and Spain traded the lead multiple times during the first period. Poland even jumped out to a lead as big as five within the first minutes of the second quarter.
But Spain took control of the contest with a commanding 21-4 run over the final 6:21 of the first half. They made five 3-pointers in the six minutes before intermission and transformed a 28-23 deficit into a 44-32 advantage by halftime. They added a 9-4 burst at the opening of the third quarter to put an iron-fisted grip on the game and cruise to a quarterfinal berth.
Spain played in the first game of the day in Montenegro and awaits the winner of Belgium vs. Greece in the next round. They will play their next game on Thursday, with a tip-off time to be determined.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!
Pitt Football Arrives at ACC Media Days As First Non-Atlantic Champion Since 2010
Talkin' Twins: What Pitt Basketball Can Expect From The Diaz-Graham Brothers
ESPN Betting Analyst Advises Under For Pitt Football Win Total
Lead ESPN Analysts Choose Pitt Football To Repeat As Coastal Champions
Pitt Basketball F Guillermo Diaz-Graham, Spanish National Team Advance in FIBA Tournament
ACC's Grant of Rights to Save, Not Sink Conference
Pitt Basketball Pledge Carlton Carrington Improves In Second Loss At Peach Jam Finals
Pitt Basketball F Guillermo Diaz-Graham, Spain Still Undefeated at U20 Championships
Pitt Basketball Commit Carlton Carrington, Team Melo Fall in Peach Jam Opener
Pitt DT Calijah Kancey Named Sporting News All-American
Pitt Basketball Commit Carlton Carrington Named EYBL Breakout Player of Session
- Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt
